Councilman sentenced in meth ring

Gilberton official was charged in Las Vegas-to-Pennsylvania distribution scheme.

January 18, 2011|By Peter Hall, OF THE MORNING CALL

A borough councilman from Gilberton, Schuylkill County, will serve 20 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to purchase methamphetamine from Las Vegas and distribute it in Pennsylvania.

Michael McGinley, 55, pleaded guilty in May to a single count of using a communications facility in a drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik sentenced McGinley to serve one year on supervised release and pay a $100 fine in addition to his prison sentence during a hearing Tuesday in Scranton.

McGinley was originally charged in October 2008 with conspiring with co-defendants to pool money to purchase methamphetamine from suppliers in Nevada. His attorney Gino Bartolai of Wilkes-Barre said McGinley admitted he used a cell phone to arrange drug transactions with co-defendants.

Bartolai said the count carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, but he believes the judge took into account an outpouring of support from McGinley's family and friends.

In a sentencing document, Bartolai wrote McGinley has been diagnosed with a substance abuse problem and that his desire to obtain drugs led directly to his involvement in the drug ring. McGinley has since taken steps to end his drug use, Bartolai said.

McGinley was charged as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania State Police and the Schuylkill County District Attorney's Office. His co-defendant, Michael Stockunas, has pleaded guilty to drug, gambling and tax charges and awaits sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.